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Scientific Oral Presentations

Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Session: Scientific Oral Presentation 3 - Facial Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery

Evaluating Dog Bite-Induced Facial Trauma: A Study from a Single Tertiary Care Center

Tuesday, October 14, 2025

11:30 AM - 11:36 AM EDT

Location: 137

Disclosure(s):

Andrew J. Rothka, MD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Jeffrey Lorenz, MD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Heather K. Schopper, MD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Introduction: Dog bites are a major source of facial trauma and are a significant public health concern. This study aimed to analyze demographic and clinical factors for patients presenting with a dog bite to the face, head, or neck.

Methods: A retrospective chart review identified all patients presenting to a single tertiary care, level 1 trauma center for facial dog bite injuries from 2012-2023.

Results: There were 906 patients with facial dog bites and 2061 total injuries recorded. Patients ranged from 0-91 years old with a median age of 7 years, and 50.6% were female. The three most common causes for injury were playing with the dog (31.8%), from an unprovoked attack (17.3%), or from petting the dog (5.5%). Family dogs were responsible for 61.6% of injuries. Pitbulls (22.7%), Labradors (11.4%), and German Shepherds (7.0%) were the most common breeds. The cheeks (25.9%), lips (20.8%), and nose (9.0%) were the most common sites injured. There were 17.0% of patients who required hospital admission. Regarding management, 16.2% required operative repair, 65.5% were repaired at bedside, and 18.3% were managed conservatively. There were 878 patients prescribed intravenous or oral antibiotics (96.9%), and amoxicillin-clavulanate was the most frequently prescribed (61.2%). Of the 138 patients with outdated or unknown rabies vaccination status, only 35.5% (n=49) received a rabies vaccination and 34.8% (n=48) received rabies immunoglobulins. A vast majority of patients (n=652, 72.0%) were current with their tetanus vaccine. Of the remaining 254 patients, 78.7% (n=200) received a booster. Behavioral comorbidities such as attention deficit hyperactive disorder and autism spectrum disorder were present in 108 patients (11.9%).

Conclusions: Dog bites to the head and neck are a common injury. Many cases require hospital admission and bedside or operative repair. Understanding the demographics of dog bites to the head and neck is important in order to understand the physical and socioeconomic burden of disease, identify gaps in adherence to protocols and guidelines, and identify areas of targeted education and preventative interventions.

Presenting Author(s)

AR

Andrew J. Rothka, MD

Resident
Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina Hospitals
Hershey, PA, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Co-Author(s)

MA

Marly Aziz, BS

Penn State College of Medicine, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
KN

Katelyn Nguyen, BS

Penn State College of Medicine, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
Jeffrey Lorenz, MD

Resident
Penn State College of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
Hershey, PA, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
HS

Heather K. Schopper, MD

Assistant Professor - Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Penn State College of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
Hershey, PA, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Senior Author(s)

Jessyka G. Lighthall, MD

Chief, Division of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
Professor, Penn State College of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
Hershey, PA, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.